With the added guards and footmen, it took no time at all for the steps to be placed, and carriage doors opened.
Wendell waited until everyone had alighted before he addressed the staff and servants. “It is my great pleasure to introduce our daughter, Miss Elizabeth Elaine Wendell to all of you.” No sooner had the last word left his mouth than the assembled staff and servants loosed a loud cheer.
Elizabeth did not miss the lady she believed was the housekeeper sobbing uncontrollably.
“We will all repair inside out of the cold, and then individual introductions will be made,” Wendell announced.
Those who had assembled to welcome them home waited until the Wendells and their guests entered the house before they returned to their duties. Once they had all been relieved of their outerwear, Elizabeth was led over to the three senior staff members. The lady was not sobbing as she had outside, but there were still tears in her eyes.
“Ellie, this is our steward, Mr Edwin Gibbs, the butler MrJohn Sandiford, and this lady is our housekeeper, Mrs Matilda Malfoy,” Cilla told her daughter. “Ellie, I am sure you do not remember, but Mrs Malfoy, she was Miss Malfoy then, was your nurse. When she became the housekeeper, she took on the title of a married lady. I believe she is almost as relieved as I was to see you again.”
“Oh, Miss Ellie, I am overjoyed to see you. What a beautiful lady you have become,” Mrs Malfoy gushed as she attempted to stem the tears of relief.
Even though Mr and Mrs Wendell never blamed her for Miss Ellie’s disappearance, she always blamed herself and expected to be sacked. She was not, as evidenced by the fact she was the housekeeper now.
Elizabeth’s mother having explained that the then Miss Malfoy was the nurse when she had disappeared, and that the lady felt tremendous guilt, made Elizabeth understand the housekeeper’s reaction at seeing her. She hoped any residual guilt would be lifted from the woman’s shoulders.
As soon as the housekeeper had composed herself, she led the Bennets to the chambers they would use while Mrs Frost and the twins made for the nursery.
Cilla had the pleasure of guiding Ellie to her suite. “Jane will be in the other bedchamber in this suite as I supposed you two would prefer to remain close to one another,” she told her daughter. The two seated themselves on the large, four-poster bed.
“Thank you Mother, this will be perfect.” Elizabeth paused for a moment. “This is the family wing, is it not?”
“It is. I would not put you anywhere else. Why do you ask?” Cilla wondered.
“Does David not have a chamber in this wing?” Elizabeth enquired. “I know neither he nor Janie would ever breach propriety, but if society discovers it, there will be rumours and innuendo spread.”
“It has been some years since David had a chamber here.” Cilla saw the questioning arched eyebrow. When he turned seven and twenty, he moved to the dower house. It is a good size with all of the amenities. After David and Jane marry, when they are at the estate, that is where they will live for the first few years. As Barney is courting Charlotte, when he and the Lucases arrive, he will join his brother at the dower house. Propriety will be observed at all times. By the by if you and he come to an understanding then William will have to join your brothers there.”
“Mother!” Elizabeth exclaimed as she blushed scarlet. “We are nothing but cousins.”
“Ellie dear, I am not accusing either of you of anything untoward,” Cilla assured Ellie. “You two have never come close to crossing any lines. That being said, one would have to be blind not to see the mutual attraction between the two of you. There is nought wrong with that, and I can tell you that if things ever progress, your father and I would approve of William. I believe the same can be said of your Bennet parents as well.”
Elizabeth was able to relax based on her mother’s statement. “I know not if William wants anything more than a friendship. However,ifwe were to become more to one another, would you and Father prefer it would not be too soon?”
“That would be rather selfish of us. All we want is the same thing we have ever desired for all of our children. That is for all of you to be happy. Would we want to farewell you after we have just recovered you? Not at all. However, if you did marry William. Do not look at me so, I saidif, then you will be but five miles away. Unlike when we knew not where you were for close to two decades, we will know where you are and will, hopefully, be invited to visit often, as you will be invited to Willowmere any time you desire to come.”
“Mother, how did you know you were in love?”
“When I arrived at the point where I could not imagine a version of my future without your father in it, I knew. Also, his felicity became far more important to me than my own, and if you ask Father, he will tell you the same about his feelings for me. Lastly, and very importantly, there must be mutual respect. Love without it is only infatuation.”
“Thank you, Mother, you have given me much on which to cogitate.”
Cilla kissed Ellie on the forehead. She stood and opened the door where a maid was waiting. “I know you shared a maid with Janie at Longbourn. This is Janet, and she will be your maid while you are at Willowmere.” Cilla turned to the maid. “Janet, you may unpack for Miss Ellie. She will tell you what she needs.”
The maid bobbed a curtsey and made her way to the dressing room where the trunks were waiting for her.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
An hour later, a washed and changed Elizabeth was shown to the drawing room where the family awaited her. After greeting everyone, she sat on a settee between Mama and Janie.
“We will have tea, and afterwards, if it is agreeable to you, Ellie, there will be a tour of the house,” Cilla stated. “I assume nothing has jogged your memory yet?”
“Not yet. Perhaps when we are touring the house, something will come back to me. For so many years, I made sure to stuff any memories into the recesses of my mind because, based on my erroneous belief, they were too painful for me. I know not if it will be the same here, but there are times I see something which makes me think of other unrelated things,” Elizabeth revealed.
“If you do, you do, if not, that is not an issue,” Wendell stated to make sure his daughter knew there was no pressureon her.
Having arrived from the dower house, David entered the drawing room. As soon as she saw her fiancé, Jane’s countenance lit up like the sun. She understood why they needed to sleep in separate houses, but that did not mean she had to be sanguine with it.
